Comments, thoughts, and pet peeves about the application (or misapplication) of security today.

Monday, February 05, 2007

Wireless Sure... But how do I plan a system anyway?

Not to put the cart before the horse as I did with the previous post... Before you can plan to go wireless with a burglar alarm system you should really plan it a little. After all wired vs. wireless may not be the right question to ask at the beginning anyway. What is the right questions and how do you begin your system plan? Come in and see...Burglar alarm systems, hereafter referred to just as alarm systems (gotta love the legalese once in a while), are there for piece of mind. Let me make this point clear first - THEY DO NOT STOP A DETERMINED INTRUDER!!! These systems will let you know if someone has activated a sensor which may mean they have already gained access. But they fill other purposes as well. How do you know when you enter your home that someone isn't waiting for you inside? Well that might be the greatest value of an alarm system. An adversary that abducts you inside your house wins in every way possible. They are not in the travelled way, not in public view, and it is highly unlikely that you will have time to dial 911 for help. You alarm system should be planned well enough so that you can be reasonably confident that you are the only person that has entered your home when you open your door.

Planning a system requires a bit of discussion on sensor types, activities and spaces, and access/traffic patterns. So the next couple of posts will deal with each of these briefly.